The Importance of Videography in Social Media
Social media is a powerful marketing tool, and even more potent is the use of videography in social media. When it comes to what is trending in media and marketing, visual content is becoming all the more popular and accessible. Hence, videography and video content for use in social media and online marketing can be a boon to businesses, no matter the industry. For example, did you know that up to 82% of marketers stated that videography had a positive impact on their business? Given that 54% of consumers prefer video content over any other content, it makes sense that video production has and continues to grow businesses and enlighten more consumers. Whether it’s a live video or pre-recorded content, videography in social media can, and has been proven, to lead to increased sales, increased site traffic, brand recognition, and more.
The Shift to Videography as Main Media Preference
When social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter first came about, they were textual heavy sites, with folks posting about their day, feelings, events, etc. Videos on these sites were first viewed and used as fun, social expressions: a clip of your friends singing happy birthday, your baby’s first steps, folks recording pranks. While video is still used for pure entertainment purposes, it has only been within the past few years that videos on social platforms and websites are now being utilized as a marketing strategy---and to great effect.
Such videos are now used every day for marketing and advertising purposes. And within the last two years especially, video has completely trumped over all other forms of media---posts, images, blogs, emails---when it comes to engagement, and conversion. In fact, 90% of consumers report that videos aid them in their buying decisions. If you or your company are looking for a new marketing strategy, videos in social media is the way to go.
The Advantages of Video in Social Media
Brand Exposure, and Consumer Action
Videography in social media achieves two key steps: brand exposure, and consumer action. The #1 key step in marketing is just getting the word out, whether it’s about a business, brand, product, etc. And videos on social platforms do just that, by spreading awareness and enlightening consumers. Videos on social media are also the catalyst in consumer engagement, or in taking action of some sort: liking, viewing, sharing the video, and leading to a purchase.
Video on Social Media Creates Exponential Engagement
Social media is all about hits, likes, comments, engagement. For example, when Facebook began, it was also a textual heavy platform: folks constantly updating their statuses, sharing articles and information, to garner likes and comments. While this all still occurs, Facebook has greatly evolved away from being a platform for written content, to one where videos utterly dominate all else: Facebook video posts create up to 135% more organic traffic than images do---talk about exponential engagement. While static text and images will always have their own importance, consumers clearly favor video content over all other media on social platforms.
Film Production in Social Media Boosts Sales
Social media goes well beyond being “social:” today, social media is now utilized as a key channel in marketing. An IDG report states that consumers are 44% more likely to purchase an item after having seen it on social platforms. If a business or brand has yet to utilize videos in social media, then they are doing themselves a great disservice.
Hypertarget with Videography
Hypertarget with videography: aim your video content on social media to a specific audience. While you can create videos for a generic audience, hypertargeting is marketing to a defined audience. The argument is that instead of having little to modest outreach with generalized content, hypertargeted content ensures high outreach by engaging a specific audience. And video content, the most preferred medium on social media platforms, is a great way to hypertarget, as you get to choose how specific your videos can be. Parameters in hypertargeting are often age, gender, interests, location, etc.
Guidelines for Creating Videos for Social Media and Online Consumption
When it comes to creating effective videos for online and social platforms, there are key criteria to keep in mind. No matter the platform—Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube, a website—these guidelines apply:
Audience
Who is the intended target audience of the video? A niche set of consumers, or a broader audience? Are you wanting to hypertarget, or just simply get the word out there?
Goal/ Message
What is the goal/ message of the video? To create more brand awareness? Celebrate the launch of a new product? Or to share a clever “how to” or hack?
Platform
What platform(s) will the video be posted on? Facebook? Instagram? Your business’s website? It’s key to know where your video will “live,” as each platform will have different requirements and rules for posting and/ or viewing.
Deadline
How soon must the video be shot, edited, and posted? Be sure to have a timeline. Budgetary constraints can affect this.
Budget
How much are you or the company able or willing to spend towards the video? Does video equipment need to be purchased? How about props and/ or location?
Parameters of Engagement and Success
Set up some parameters for what you and/ or company constitute as success when using a video on social media. Immediate figures will include likes, hits, time spent watching, shares, but what about any increases in sales, and brand/ product awareness? Set all these parameters ahead of time, and compare actual stats after the video is posted online. As you continue to produce and post more videos for online/ social media consumption, you can compare figures and trends among videos.
Film Production Strategy
Direct v. Indirect Method of Creating Engagement
Every time you’re on Facebook or Instagram, you bound to see not one, but multiple videos. And chances are you’ll watch one or several. This is a direct method of video engagement and consumption: you’re on a social media platform or website and watch the video media “on site,” and usually don’t need to click anything. Obviously, your views, likes, shares, etc. are creating engagement, or hits. But what about creating engagement via indirect means? What if a consumer doesn’t have or view social media often, if at all? Such is the power of videos that simply including the word “video” in your email’s tag line can increase open rates by 19%. Including videos within an email, whether as part of an email campaign or an individual email, will still create engagement.
LinkedIn and YouTube: Videography on Non-Traditional Social Media Sites
Traditional social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter get a lot of hype, understandably so, when it comes to creating and posting videos. But what about non-traditional social media sites, such as LinkedIn and Youtube? It hasn’t been until very recently that LinkedIn and its members are utilizing video for marketing purposes. From creating a personal video resume for your profile, to a company creating a “Company Values” clip, it makes sense that videos more than have their place on the networking site.
And let’s not forget YouTube, the world’s largest video hosting site. It’s possible those reading this have their own personal channels---maybe you have a channel documenting all your hiking adventures. What about channels for your company or brand though? If your company does not have a YouTube channel, we highly recommend that your company create one. Why? YouTube by far is the most preferred platform for watching videos: 83% of consumers say YouTube is their video platform of choice over other platforms. Posting videos on YouTube is free, and as anyone who’s used YouTube can attest, the site is highly addicting: viewers don’t just watch one video, but several. If you have videos “living” on other sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, or a company website, you should post those videos on YouTube as well---you’ll likely reach folks or an audience who otherwise may not have seen your video content where they were originally posted.